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Searching for answers
The search for the missing Malaysia Airlines' flight MH370 was dramatically narrowed last week due to a mathematical analysis of satellite signals from the plane. Careful analysis of just a handful of data points has focussed the search on an area in the southern Indian Ocean.
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Maths in a minute: Inverse problems
Inverse problems are mathematical detective problems. They can help solve crimes, are used in medical imaging, and much more.
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Explore: Differential equations
One thing that will never change is the fact that the world is constantly changing, and differential equations are the way we mathematically describe the changing world around us.
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Sexual statistics
David Spiegelhalter's new book Sex by numbers takes a statistical peek into the nation's bedrooms. In this interview he tells us some of his favourite stories from the book. Read the article or watch the video!
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Machine learning: Is it ethical?
Should machines be allowed to make decisions that impact people's lives?
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Helping maths to help us
The mathematics of the future needs more specialist maths teachers, stronger university provision, and sustained research funding.
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Providing the best evidence
How do mathematicians help policy makers make the best decisions?
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Spinning the wheel: The Ehrenfest paradox
Meet a fascinating thought experiment close to the speed of light.
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Measles cases on the rise: Why this is worrying and what we can do
We look at the recent rise in measles cases, why it has led to a national health incident being declared, and what can be done to avert the threat.
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Learning from COVID: How good was the UK's vaccination strategy?
Was vaccinating vulnerable people first a good choice? Hindsight allows us to assess this question.
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Do you know what's good for you: the next microscope
"Mathematics is biology's next microscope, only better." That's what the scientist Joel E Cohen once said of the power of mathematics to revolutionise biology and the biomedical sciences. And he was right. Maths enables scientists to understand complex organisms and diseases, it's crucial in developing sophisticated medical technology and materials, and we can even use it to model our psyche and intelligence. In this sense maths has become a genuine research instrument for biomedical sciences. The insight it gives them are on a par with the revolutionising power of the microscope.
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Running a lottery, for beginners
There are many different types of lottery around the world, but they all share a common aim: to make money. John Haigh explains why lotteries are the way they are.